Promises
by kallistra
Summary: AFTER THE DUEL. Side Story III. A younger Mokuba sits in his locked room unaware and protected from the abuses that his big brother faces. When he sees him, Seto makes a promise of revenge and vows to keep him always. COMPLETE. R&R


**Disclaimer**  
><strong>This is Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction, posted on FanFiction (dot) net.<strong>

_**Fanfiction: A story written about a television show, book, comic or movie by people unconnected with the original and without any intention of making a profit. (taken from ralst (dot) com )**_

**This story is rated M because it deals with mature themes and situations. If you are not prepared for a mature story that can involve any number of mature items, then this story is not for you.**

**A/N: Sorry that I haven't had much time to write stories on FF lately. I've been actually working on my own original religious horror story. Who knows? Maybe I'll get published. :) Also, I've been very, very, very busy with work, homeschooling, and all the things that comprise my real-life. I will be working here and there on Tower of Glass as I can and there are new chapters, but they need some polishing. This story just kind of came out, I didn't do any editing, so I apologize for any errors. **

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><p>Mokuba hated it when Gozaburo's associates came over to the house. The clinking of their glasses filled with various spirits, the hazy smoke and smell of cigars that wafted through the hallways, and the low rumbled laughter that always bespoke something sinister that he could not fathom at such a young age. Most of all, he hated the fear that would fill his older brother's blue eyes when news would come that there would be a fete and that his presence would be required. There was no option for him to not attend. However, Mokuba was consigned to his room during these times and never knew what went on behind those closed and locked doors. He just could never shake the feeling that it was something very bad.<p>

Sometimes, with his ear pressed to the finely polished mahogany, he could make out faint whimpers and cries. He wondered if it was his brother crying out. He further tried to figure out why his brother would make those noises if he was in a meeting with their adoptive father's associates. He could not discern why the laughter seemed to increase and finally drown out the noises he could just barely hear from the other side of that doorway.

There was a change this time. Mokuba could hear feet running along the thick carpet of the hallway toward his rooms. This caused him to shuffle away from his door. Mokuba did not want to be caught trying to spy upon the proceedings, limited though was this capability. His blue-violet eyes were dark with fear that he would be found. They then widened when he heard a key slip into the lock of his door and twist. He was frantic before the door open. He tried to consider if he was going to be called upon and if he would now know what set fear into his hero's, his older brother's, eyes when told at dinner these men were coming to call.

When Seto slipped pass the barely opened door to steal into his room, Mokuba breathed a sigh of relief. It was his brother and not one of the large men with cruel eyes and sinister smiles that had entered their home earlier that evening. However, that relief was short-lived when he saw the wild and frightened look in his brother's eyes. Mokuba scrambled off the couch to go to him just as Seto closed the door and locked it from the inside.

Before he could reach his older brother, Mokuba watched as he slid down the wood and his head fell against his embraced knees.

"Big Brother! What is wrong?" Mokuba was scared. This action of defeat was unlike the strong façade that Seto had started wearing not long after they had arrived at this mansion as children of Gozaburo.

Seto moaned into his knees. His whole body was on fire. The associates and his father had been especially cruel to him tonight. He had been broken and used for their perverse pleasures for a long time now, it almost seemed forever, but they had decided to spice it for themselves by forcing him to imbue the white powder that he had watched them sniff up their noses more than once. He could still hear them taunting to him that it would make him feel the pleasures they were gifting him with all the more. They had been right, but it was not pleasure he had felt; it was pain.

When the men had decided on a break from their torments of him, Seto had done the only thing that his drug-spiked mind could think of and that was to run to his little brother's room and hide. He knew he would go back to them; the threat on Mokuba was always there and that if he disobeyed they would find new amusements. He knew what that meant. He could never break his promise to protect Mokuba and he would use his body and soul as commanded if this meant his little brother's safety.

"Big Brother!" Mokuba's hands rested on Seto's knees. He was scared. His brother looked like he did the first time that their adopted father had pulled him away for a private lesson. It was since that day his brother had stopped smiling.

Seto started crying. He hated the hot tears that were splashing down his cheeks and onto his pants. He could taste the salt on his lips as he clinched his arms tighter around himself. His whole body felt as if it was strung taunt like a bowstring and he thought for sure that if he didn't keep hold of himself that he would surely snap.

Leaning his head against his brother's clasped hands; Mokuba began to cry as well. He cried for his older brother's hurt that he could not fix and did not know. He cried for his own fear in this great palace of imaginary perfection. He was too young to figure out what was causing this sorrow, but he knew enough to know that this home was no home for them.

"Let's run away, Big Brother," he cried. "Let's get away from here. I'm scared."

Shoving his little brother away, Seto snarled, "We can't run away. We have nowhere to go and he will find us even if we do run away."

Big tears formed at the corners of Mokuba's large eyes. He didn't know what to do or how to help his brother. Sitting there crouched in front of Seto, he began to sob. Heaves wracked his little body as he wrapped his arms around himself.

Pulling himself up against the door, Seto stared down at his only real family. As he forced himself to calm down he could feel the drug working its way into his brain. Every sharp angle and shadow was magnified, along every pain in his young body that he had suffered in that evening thus far. He could feel his mind ticking, thinking, it was becoming clear what he would have to do to save himself and his brother. He was also sorry for pushing him away.

Joining Mokuba on the floor again, Seto wrapped his arms around the little boy that he had promised to keep watch all their lives.

"Mokuba, I'm sorry," he whispered to him, Seto's voice low and intense, "You are mine to care for, mine to protect, you are always mine and my brother and I will save us."

Lifting his head, Mokuba looked up into Seto's blue eyes which were electric in color and hard as chips as ice. He was confused.

"I am going to play this game our so-called father has put me in and you know what, I'm going to win it. I will keep you safe because you will always be mine. You are my brother. Mine. No one is ever going to hurt you. I will always, always take care of you. You trust me, don't you, Mokuba?"

"I… yes, Big Brother, but I don't under-"

Seto cut him off. "It won't be today, but in the future, no matter long it takes, I am going to triumph over that bastard and we will be free and safe forever. I swear it to you! Always! You are mine and he can't ever have you. Never!"

The last word was hissed. Mokuba was so confused. He couldn't understand what his older brother was going on about. He understood the parts of protecting him and of course he was his, they were family were they not, but what of all this protection was for he couldn't discern the reason.

Tentatively, Mokuba asked, "Thank you, Big Brother, but what do I need protection from?"

Standing back up, Seto turned away from his little brother and stared at the door that led back into the hallway and back into those rooms where the men were waiting to heap more abuse upon his body. He shuddered at the thoughts of what he would have to endure before he could fulfill his plans. They were right about this white powder, he thought to himself, it not only magnified but it helped to clear his mind of what was necessary to secure his revenge on not only his adopted father but upon all of them that dared to touch a boy like himself. Thanks to Gozaburo and his cronies, his childhood had been stripped from him in all ways.

Without looking at him, Seto replied in a low, cold voice, "You do not want to know, Mokuba. And now, I must go back to it and continue to secure your protection. One day, not today, but someday, you will not understand the things I do but you must always keep your faith in me." He clenched his fists. "I will keep you safe and you are something that he can never break or take away from me. If he does, I will kill him."

Mokuba gasped at the seething anger in Seto's words. His brother was so angry but would not tell him what was happening. He watched in silence as he stalked toward that door and yanked it open.

Twisting around one last time, Seto spoke to him, "Keep this door locked and open it only for me. I will see you in the morning. I will survive this and anything else they do to me. I will also get our revenge. This I promise."

Before he could react, the door was slammed and locked once more. Mokuba had jumped to his feet when he had seen the trickle of blood running down the backs of his older brother's calves. It had also stained his school uniform shorts on the back. He did not know what could cause his brother to bleed like that. He had no idea why but it scared him to his core.

Mokuba took up a vigil at his doorway and stayed that way until morning, waiting for his brother to return to him as he promised.


End file.
